The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1887-09-13
Che Cavity 8Nllettn,
TUESDAY, SEPT. 10, 1887.
GREAI GUNS.

fact that while the latter are very
powerful for an unarmored cruiser
of her size, they would make small
show compared with the heaviest
ordnance now carried in war-ships.
The progress of thirty years in
constructing heavy guns has been
extraordinary. The largest pieces
found on war vessels in 1860 threw
a ball weighing 6S. pounds, with an
initial velocity of 1870 feet per
second, and an energy of !, 100 foot
tons. Now initial velocities in high
power guns have been increased to
2,lQ0 feet; proiectiles at the maxi
mum weigh as much as $500
pounds, and in some cases are pro-
PEELED by charges of nearly half
ton Of powder, while the 1l0-ton
guns of the Benbow reach an energy
of about sixty thousand foot.tons.
Passing over the triumphs obtain
ed by intermediate calibers, which
were remarkable in their day, we
find that the largest French steel
guns, such as are used for the
armament of the Terrible, completed
at Brest, the Requin, built at Bor-
deauX, the Indomitable, built at
Torrent, and the Coiman, finished
at Toulon, weigh each about 76 tons.
They deliver a projectile weighing
1,716 pounds with muzzle velocity
of ! ,739 feet per second and muz-
zle energy of 10000 foot-tons. The
French have other powerful guns,
those constructed on the Bange
system being well-known.
The Armstrong guns now mount
ed for service in the Italian armor-
clads Duilio, Candolo, Italia and
Lepanto weigh 100 tons each, and
throw a projectile of 1000 pounds.
These have long been familiar, but
the latter breech-loading guns are
improvements over the early muzzle-
leaders. The most powerful of
them take powder charge of about
772 pounds, and have an initial
velocity of 1885 feet per second,
and muzzle energy of 81, 900 foot
tons. Guns of 1h5 tons have also
been made at Elswick for the Fran
cesco LAURA, the Andrea. bona
and the Morosini. In these the
weight of the charge is 800 pounds,
the weight of the projectile 1900
pounds, the muzzle velocity 2,0l9
feet per second, the muzzle energy
56,547 foot-tons. These will un-
doubleday prove most formidable
weapons.
The largest Krupp gun weighs
nearly l19 tons. 1t is over 4G feet
long, has a caliber of 153 inches and
fires shot weighing 2,314 pounds,
with a muzzle velocity of 1900
The maximum elevation gives it
range of nearly y miles. Its power
of penetration into wrought iron is
estimated at about Al inches at the
distance of 1,l00 yards and 80
inches 5000 yards. At the dis
lance of three miles its striking
average is still about $4,000 foot
tons. The Italian have two of these
guns mounted on a shore battery,
for which purpose they are intended.
The English l10-top gun, manu-,
featured at Elswick, is about Al |
feet long, and its actual weight
247,795 pounds. The screw block, |
removed in loading, weighs 24 tons.
The projectile is a bolt weighing
1900 pounds, and i64 inches in
diameter. With $50 pounds of
powder the actual muzzle velocity
attained was 2,078 feet, and the |
energy $4,000 foot-tons; so
that with $50 pounds, which the
gun is constructed to use, an energy
On the projectile of 81, 200 foot-tons
Is expected. The recoil of the gun
IS very small. The British also
nave a powerful new gun in their
j3-tOn steel breach-loader which will
De carried on the Rodney. 1t is ex-
oected to throw 31-inch shot, Of
,25O pounds,with powder charge
$50 pounds, and to attain 2,100
feet muzzle'velocity, Should these
expectations be realized, this gun,
yhough much lighter, will be more
destructive than the 80-ton gun of
he Infiexible, which takes II pro.
iectile of LOO pounds, with a cart
'idge of $50 pounds, reaching a
nuzzle velocity of 900 feet,
1t is said that the next step at
empted in heavy gun construction
sill be that of a 15O-ton monster,
his project being attributed to the
essen works, 1t would throw a
hell six feet long, weighing q ton
md a half. There are also some
runs under construction which are
expected to accomplish great results
IN somewhat new theories, as in the
,ase of the one manufactured for
Colonel Hope, This is to take an
enormous powder charge, and to
AVE correspondingly great pene-
rative effect but without going into
he possible successes of the future,
hose which have already been
chieved are sufficiently astonishing.
- TN Y SIM q